BY CHARLES KUMOLU

A FORMER Commissioner for Health in Delta State, Dr Festus Okubor, diagnoses  the administration of Senator Ifeanyi Okowa  and submits that the governor is using lean resources to achieve big results. Okunbor, who is also former Chief of Staff, expresses optimism that efforts in every sector are already laying the foundation for a prosperous Delta.

As the Chairman of the Governing Board of Delta State Polytechnic, Ogwashi-Uku, can you tell us about the technical/vocational education policy of this administration and how you are assisting to implement it?

Okubor

The first thing we did was an appraisal of the curriculum. And what we found out was that we were still operating in the ways that  landed Nigeria in the difficult times we are facing. Everything was geared toward getting a job without recourse to competence.

That raised key questions as to the quality and direction we should be going. As a school, the first thing we did was to redefine the purpose of polytechnic education. We established the fact that we want to train students who will be employable. We went further to re-define employability by saying that someone is employable when the person can employ himself and create jobs for others.

We introduced skill acquisition  programmes that will make the students competitive in the global market.   As a matter of policy today, at Ogwashi-Uku Polytechnic, nobody can graduate if the person is not certified in one skill or the other. For instance, the dress  I am wearing was made by a student of the polytechnic.

The state government also said that emphasis must be placed on vocational and technical education to ensure that the individual produced  by the system is well-rounded to stand alone and succeed. The vocational centres and technical schools have been revamped. The policy thrust is to make sure that we produce students that will not rely on job availability to be able to succeed by creating employment and value on their own.

Can you give specific examples of how this policy of vocational and technical education is affecting the economy of the state?

A lot of micro-businesses are springing up in the state as a result of the emphasis on skills acquisition as against certificate acquisition. For instance, in the past, the student who made my dress would just study fashion and Designing and would want to work in the civil service after graduation. But we are changing that mentality.

The products of the government’s Skills Training and Entrepreneurship Programme (STEP) and Youth Agricultural Entrepreneurs Programme (YAGEP) are also enhancing the business competitiveness of the state as well as driving economic diversification. Today, there are a lot of young people in the state who want to stand on their own. There is room for upgrading, of course. For instance, we can set up a carpentry centre in Asaba to train all those who have the skills but lack technical sophistication, to design products that can compete with the Chinese. The good thing is that we are on the right path and I am confident that the tenacity of the governor at implementing his policies will make Delta an entrepreneurial hub in the next 12 years.

If you were to do a midterm assessment of the Okowa, how would it look like?

To be frank with you I am amazed at the governor’s ingenuity to manage inadequate resources. It is one thing to manage surplus and another thing to manage inadequacy. To be able manage a bourgeoning public service when there is next to nothing is an achievement. To be able to understand that 100 per cent of the state’s resources are meant for 100 per cent of the population is commendable. To be able to still find things to do to benefit every sector of the state is something that is salutary.

All these speak about ingenuity in managing scare resources at a time when we have a federal government that is controlled by a party that does not know what it means to govern and grow the economy.   And I think the governor has demonstrated ingenuity in managing the finances of the state. I have also said that apart from managing a very bad economy, Governor Okowa has showed exceptional skills in maintaining inter-ethnic harmony.

This has been achieved in the spread of infrastructure projects and in the recruitment of persons to help him drive his polices. Delta is an uncommon state that one needs to apply equity in appointments. The governor has been able to look at the realities of the state and has gone to great length as an administrator to keep everybody moving in the same direction.

As someone, who was a key player in the last two previous administrations, what can you say about Okowa’s style of governance?

His style of governance is rooted in knowledge.   And it is not the knowledge of yesterday that he applies to the issues of today. I know that he takes his time to update himself about whatever he does. He drives his programmes and policies on the pedestal of knowledge. Luckily, he is not garrulous. So, he can listen. He is also quick to recognize superior argument. Of course, he has also acquired lots of experience in the past. Therefore, nobody can accuse him of trial and error. Times are tough, resources are scare and he is dealing with what is really important for growth and the future.

Some persons would ask why we don’t have a fly-over that can extend from Asaba to Warri that will be the ninth wonder of the world. It is a good to have such dreams but we are laying the foundation for a strong economy. When those foundations yield enough fruits, we can do that. Now, we are doing what is important and needful by ensuring that we train our youths on the path of prosperity so that they can be empowered to grow themselves and the society.

The Commissioner for Finance was quoted to have said that the state government has over 2,000 political appointees. Are you not concerned that the number is screaming?

I am not. Who are these political appointees? I am the Chairman of the Council of a Polytechnic. That makes me one of the appointees. The Polytechnic was created by law. And the law that established the polytechnic provides that there shall be a Governing Council. The Delta State University is a product of the law and it has its Council. We have three polytechnics, three colleges of education and one university. All of them have governing councils. Delta State Broadcasting is a creation of the law, Civil Service Commission is a creation of the law, and Hospital Management Board is a creation of the law as well as many other agencies and parasatals. All of them have policy drivers. It will be an error to register a company without board of directors.   It will be against the law not to appoint chairmen and members of these boards. The figure is not outlandish considering the number of MDAs we have in the state.

These are not frivolous appointments. Appointing a governing council for a university is not political reward but a matter of obeying the law to ensure that the institution is run properly. I have seen some members of the APC say that the appointments are just to create jobs for the boys. Maybe they want us to be like the APC-led federal government that has failed to appoint members of boards for over two years. And that is why Nigeria is where it is today.

The APC in this state continues to show daily that they do not know anything about governance. Just look at how President Muhammadu Buhari is managing the Federal Government. After more than two years, he has not appointed board members for federal government agencies. How can they function properly? That situation leaves room for abuse and mismanagement.

Some of the things you have said about the administration sound satisfactory, but an ex-member of the PDP, who just defected to the APC, Dr. Cairo Ojugbo accused the administration of mismanaging funds. How do you react to that?

I have my reservations about people who jump from one party to the other at whim. Such attitude is a manifestation of the lack of discipline and patience in our society. It is a free world, but we must endeavour to eschew selfishness and greed in our public conduct.

Regarding his accusations, the State Government has informed the public on more than one occasion how it spent the Paris Club Refund and the Bailout fund. The information is out there in the public domain so it is self-serving and dishonest to keep shouting that the funds were not utilised. It is cheap propaganda.

The state government is not owing its workers. The problem of the local governments, which as you know is a different tier of government, is a constitutional one; the problem is not peculiar to Delta State. Even then I know for a fact that the State Government gives monthly subventions to the local governments to assist them in the payment of salaries. Except somebody is saying the State should take the money meant for its workers to pay the local government staff.

But you can’t rob Peter to pay Paul. Dr Cairo is making noise. That a former member of the House of Representatives made those spurious allegations makes it more sickening. My education and knowledge tell me that there can never be a blank budget. It is either there is a paper that is blank or a budget that can never be blank. Criticising government should not be done just for the sake of it.